Beautiful Promise
by Stralovat
Summary: Set in Half-Blood Prince; Hunting a monster from home is never easy, especially when there's a distracting handsome boy. Criticism is very welcomed. Written for Ivy. Edited by Angel.
1. Chapter 1

The night grew darker with the passing hours, and activities seemed to stop in their tracks. Even the weeping willow was silent. The bright moon was concealed by clouds of gray. Every movement at Hogwarts seemed still, unmoving, and quiet. All except for the Giant Squid that resided in the Great Lake, for he seemed unnerved about something. He moved to get away from something invisible to the naked eye; the inky waters of the Great Lake hid a secret scarier than You-Know-Who. Because the night was so mysterious, it was the perfect time for the unknown to crawl and roam. However, under the protection of Hogwarts and a powerful yet whimsical wizard named Albus Dumbledore, the students were safe and secure; yes, even the Slytherins. The night was still, but not all movements were stopped. There were flickers in trees that were not caused by the wind: little things here and there that were missed. These strange movements were followed by a group of ghostly shadows that blended in with the night.

The mysterious creature disappeared inside Hogwarts, and following it was a group of teenagers. It was a group of four: two boys and two girls. They had a certain aura that was almost divine. A girl ran in front of the group, her bold and strong figure leaving a lingering image in mind; she had cropped brown hair. Not too far behind her was another girl with curly blond hair, which was tied up so it would not cover her face; she had piercing gray eyes that possessed an owl's wisdom. Next to her was a boy with a sickly, pale complexion; he had long black hair that framed his face perfectly. Strangely, he had a greenish glow to him.

"Clarisse, wait up, I think Percy is getting tired," said the girl with gray eyes.

A boy behind all three of them looked up suddenly at the mention of his name and stared at them with his blue green eyes. His jet black hair camouflaged with the night. He had a fit and strong body, which was a result of harsh training and life-and-death situations. "I don't need you guys to slow down. I do fine on my own. Thank you very much," Percy directed at Annabeth.

"Whatever you say, seaweed brain," remarked Annabeth. "Nico, how are you holding up?"

The boy with the sickly complexion turned to her and said, "I am fine, you should worry about Clarisse, she's been running for a long time. I would like to take a break, but I'm afraid the monster will harm the kids at this school."

Clarisse stopped and turned around and said, "Maybe we should split up. We're not going to find it if we are all together. Nico and I will search the outside; Annabeth and Percy, search the inside." Before they went their separate ways, they exchanged words of luck and signs of affection.

Percy Jackson thought everything would fall in place after the war ended: he would be famous and rich. Also, he would have a beautiful girlfriend, whom he knows will stand by him no matter how rough or dangerous life gets. Because they were demigods, it was kinda their 'thing' to live a dangerous life. Percy would have been happy and relieved as long as Annabeth was not put in a dangerous situation. Then, both of them would have had a peace of mind and time to sink into one another's embrace.

That was what Percy wanted to happen. After the war, feelings began to change: love faded. Percy and Annabeth understood each other and respected one another. However, they found that their love for each other was nothing more than love one would have for a sibling, or perhaps a close friend who is deeply cared for. Nevertheless, they agreed on a clean break and still maintained a healthy friendship.

Annabeth moved on with one of Apollo's sons, Arron. He fully knew that if he broke her heart, a wave of unfortunate things would happen to him. Arron was proud to say that they were in their third month of their relationship. Of course, Percy was overjoyed for Annabeth's happiness and gave his support. However, Percy couldn't help but want a loving relationship with a lovely maiden to do all the things he had wanted to do with Annabeth.

A sudden gasp broke him from his thoughts, so Percy turned his attention to the source of the noise. He followed it and was led to an abandoned girl's restroom. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone flee in panic. He weighed his options and decided to go to the source instead. He had expected a small animal, or an animal sounding insect. What he did not expect, however, was a very human and very alive creature that lay on the floor. Percy stepped closer to take a better look. He was unprepared for the sight, even after all the things war had shown him.

A boy close to Percy in age was on the floor with blood across his chest. The boy had platinum blonde hair with tips stained with his own blood. His eyes were glossed over with the illusion of death, and his lips were slightly parted to allow breathing. Percy saw the gaping wounds on the boy's chest. Blood was spilling out of the boy's chest, and his breathing became more shallow. As Percy stood next to the body and took in the sight, he did the only thing his body could do: heal the boy. Percy watched the horrific wounds on the boy's chest closing up. He watched as the broken skin slowly mended itself back to the porcelain state it was in before. Percy forgot how to breath when he saw the healed boy in front of him. The boy was the very personification of beauty. The boy's pretty, pink mouth exhaled and started breathing normally. Percy looked at the beautiful boy in front of him and decided it was too dangerous to leave him, so he lifted the boy up and carried him princess style. He walked down the hallway and thanked the portraits for telling him where the boy's room was located.

Percy knew the door to the boy's dorm would need a password, so he went into the boy's room through an open window. He saw the empty bed, walked to it, set the boy down on the bed, and looked around. Percy noticed a small engraving on the bed; he went closer and looked at it. In pretty cursive was the name, Draco Malfoy. "So, your name is Draco. Huh? That's a pretty name for a pretty boy," muttered Percy. Percy kneeled down to meet Draco at face-level. There was a pause in Percy's movement when he watched Draco. For Percy, it felt like the world was right and there was peace to be found in the boy he rescued. Percy drew himself closer and closer until he was touching nose to nose with Draco. Percy found himself enjoying the view a little more than he had expected. He leaned in just a little bit further and he felt the light touch of Draco's lips against his. Percy pressed gently, and pulled away, not wanting to disturb the beautiful boy. "I will see you later, my pretty petal," whispered Percy.

With that, Percy went out the window and quickly joined his friends. "Where were you, Perseus Jackson?! I was nearly eaten! If Nico didn't come along as he did, I would be dead now," Annabeth furiously whispered.

"I am sorry, I had to rescue someone," Percy whispered back.

"Your heroism is going to get you killed someday," said Clarisse.

"Well, I don't think that's our only concern. The monster disappeared. If we don't find it, it's going to cause a lot of trouble," said Nico.

"What?! You guys let it get away?" said Percy.

"Shut up! Seaweed Brain! If you were there, it wouldn't have gotten away," said Annabeth.

"Guys, instead of fighting about it, we should figure out how to find it," said Clarisse.

"Well, we can ask Chiron to pull some strings, and we can be the transfer students of this school. I mean, this is a school, so having transfer students are normal," said Nico.

After a while, Annabeth came back with a smile, so I guess we were admitted to Hogwarts.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun shined through and there seemed to be a mist in the air, which seemed to be a faint reminder of yesterday's event. Percy, Annabeth, Nico, and Clarisse went to the headmaster's office to get their uniforms and a welcoming talk. A stern woman named McGonagall led them to a strange-looking door, and with a password that sounded like 'lemon drop', they were inside an office. An old man with a long grey beard, long robes, and bright blue eyes that seemed to twinkle underneath the half-moon shaped glasses greeted them. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. Would you like a lemon drop?" said the strange man with a beard.

"No thank you, . My name is Annabeth Chase. This is Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo, and Clarisse la Rue. I believe Chiron informed you that we must go undercover as students of your school to capture the thing we're after," said Annabeth.

"Oh, yes, Chiron has updated me about your situation," said Dumbledore. "Professor McGonagall, if you will please show them the way to the Great Hall."

"Follow me, children. I will tell you the basic rules of Hogwarts," said McGonagall.

In Hogwarts, there were four main houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff.

_I walked into the Great Hall and it seemed like all eyes were on us. I looked around and saw flowing candles and a ceiling charmed to look like the night sky. I glanced around to see the eyes that were staring at me. Many of them were looking at us with distrust and fear. Fear? That couldn't be right. I would have understood if they didn't trust us, but why were they be afraid of us? They didn't even know who we were but … How strange? _

Percy's gaze met a pair of icy grey-blue eyes. Percy could only stare because the person maintaining eye contact was the beautiful boy he rescued, Draco Malfoy. Percy couldn't make a sound; he was too awestruck to say anything. The doll like boy was alive and moving. It made what happened the night before seem surreal. They maintained eye contact, and Percy flashed his million dollar grin. Draco turned his head and looked the other way, not knowing why the boy smiling at him seemed so familiar.

Having established the facts that Percy, Annabeth, Nico, and Clarisse were transfer students from America and that they were completely harmless, Dumbledore commenced the feast to begin. This left students with many questions, especially the Golden Trio.

"Don't you think this is rather strange? Transfer students, we've never had that since Hogwarts was formed," said Hermione.

"Do you think they're Death Eaters?" whispered Ron.

"They could be, but what if they're harmless American transfer students after all?" said Harry.

"What are the odds?" said Hermione.

Percy, unknowing the distrust and doubt the Golden trio had in him and his friends, continued to try to make eye contact with Draco. Annabeth watched with curiosity while Percy attempted to undress a beautiful boy with his eyes.

"What's his name? Your crush?" asked Annabeth.

"What? Who? What are you talking about?" said Percy.

"The boy you have been drooling about for the past 15 minutes. What's his name?" teased Annabeth.

Quickly wiping his mouth, "I'm not drooling. Just merely looking!" exclaimed Percy.

"Looking at what?" asked Clarisse.

"Nothing," said Percy quickly.

"He's drooling at the sight of his crush. See that blonde?" said Annabeth.

Clarisse tilted her head to get a better look; she could see the poise in the boy. A royal air seemed to be fixated on the boy. Clarisse could see the why Percy would be interested, _well, I mean, it's Percy's type afterall. Blonde, gray eyes, fair-skinned, and petite. Definitely up his alley. _Even Nico had picked it up.

Annabeth and Clarisse watched as Percy tried to maintain eye contact with Draco. Darco seemed to be uncomfortable under the vision of Percy and quickly left the room. Percy drank the remaining pumpkin juice and followed after Draco.

"Guys, his name is Draco Malfoy, not sexy," said Nico.

"How do you know?" said Annabeth.

"Percy was mumbling his name while he was asleep last night," said Nico.

"This is good, really good," said Annabeth.

"Why is that? The only thing coming out of it is Seaweed Boy distracted from our mission." said Clarisse.

"No, it's the first time Percy's shown interest in someone after we broke up. He always said he was too busy, but I know him. He just didn't want to tell me because he didn't want me to worry," concluded Annabeth.

"In case you have forgotten, we came here to find the monster that was spotted." said Clarisse.

"We should help them. You know, get them together," said Annabeth.

"Yeah, we should, and ignore the monster we chased here," said Clarisse sarcastically.

"But Percy is in love and it can help him get over our former relationship," said Annabeth.

"Percy is a big boy. He can handle Draco. I mean, he got you to go out with him and has half of the Aphrodite cabin in love with him. How hard is one boy?" said Nico.

"Why don't we help him by finding the monster ourselves and let him do his thing?" suggested Clarisse.

" Great idea!" exclaimed Annabeth.

Annabeth hummed happily as she finished her breakfast; she looked toward the door, wishing Percy the best of luck.


	3. Chapter 3

Percy looked around for the familiar white-blonde hair and find himself looking straight into the eyes of Draco.

"Why were you staring at me? What do you want?" demanded Draco.

Percy looked into the gray eyes, and found himself somewhat lost. He snapped out of it when Draco pointed a stick in his face.

"Tell me or I will hex you into the next century," hissed Draco.

"Easy there, don't hurt yourself pointing the stick at me," teased Percy.

"Shut up, idiot. I demand an explanation," said Draco.

Percy smirked seductively and took Draco's hands, " How about I show you instead?" Percy lead Draco away from curious onlookers while Draco wormed under his grip.

"Let go of me, you big oaf!" screamed Draco.

"I will let go of you, but I was told the stick thing hurt. So, I would rather not take that chance. I am going to show you the answers to your demands, right?" said Percy.

"It's not a stick thing, it's a wand," said Draco.

Percy smiled at Draco, "Sure it is, princess."

"Did you just called me princess?" asked Draco. "I am not some delicate maiden."

"I never said you were," said Percy.

Percy placed his hand on the side of Draco's waist and the other on Draco's cheek. Draco flushed at the contact and tried to move away, but Percy's arm snaked around his waist and pulled him closer.

"Shhh. It's alright, I am not going to hurt you. I just wanted to talk to you," said Percy.

"Talk to me, like this. Well, you need to brush up on your talking skills because right now I want to do anything BUT talk to you," remarked Draco.

"Well, considering this is the first time I have ever tried to flirt with a dude, I would say that I am doing pretty well," said Percy as he snaked both hands around Draco's waist and pulled him even closer, till they were only breaths away. "But if you insist on doing something else, I wouldn't mind."

With that said, Percy lowered his lips to touch Draco's. The first contact was warm, but unresponsive. Percy took it slow, and savored the taste of his beloved's mouth. A slight moan escaped Draco's mouth, and it was music to Percy's ears.

Percy's tongue traced the outline of Draco's bottom lip. The contact caught Darco by surprise and his mouth opened slightly. Percy took that chance and slipped his tongue inside Draco's mouth. Percy could taste pumpkin juice, maple syrup, and something he knew was Draco. The kiss was slow, and Draco was responding in all the right ways. If Percy wasn't holding him up, Draco would have fallen to his knees by now. Percy pulled away to allow Draco to breath. He could see the flush that seemed to be fixed on the boy's face as a sign of enjoyment. He smiled at the view until he saw the frown come back.

"Americans and your uncanny ways of courting. Couldn't you think of something else besides sticking your tongue down my throat? How about you start with your name?" said Draco.

"My uncanny ways? I am hurt, you seemed to have enjoyed yourself during that kiss. My name is Percy Jackson, and do you want me to woe you?" said Percy.

"Percy? Well, it's a start. Unhand me you fool," scowled Draco.

Percy gave him a grin, pecked him on the cheek, and released him.

"Next time, give a little warning, and if you do it again, I will hex you," threatened Draco as he walked toward the dungeon.

Percy watched as Draco walked away from him, knowing the next time they met, he was going to get a little more than a threat.

Percy left to meet up with his friends, hoping to get some information on the monster, so he could put his whole heart into courting Draco. He walked out to the courtyard and saw Annabeth talking to one of the Hogwarts students.

He watched and for the first time since they broke up, he could look at her without having a slight dull ache and regret in his heart. He smiled to himself thinking, _maybe Draco will do me some good. _Annabeth finished talking to the student and waved at Percy to come closer.

"What took you so long to walk over, Seaweed Brain?" asked Annabeth.

"I happen to like nature, and do you guys know anything about the monster?" ask Percy.

"I don't know. Many of the students tell me they've seen it in the shadows, but none could provide a description. Which makes our job a lot harder," said Annabeth. "So, how was your moment with Draco?"

"It was great, his lips were like really soft. Wait, how did you know his name is Draco?" said Percy.

"Bro, TMI. Don't want to know where your tongue's been. But, if you know what I found, you will want to kiss me, not that I want you to," said Nico. Percy, Annabeth, and Clarisse gathered and gave the signal to continue. "The monster we're dealing with is a Hellhound, not like Mrs.O'Leary. This hellhound is mean and nasty. The reason we're not hearing anything from it is because after a Hellhound uses Shadow Travel, they get tired and need to rest. That's how it was able to escape from us last night," said Nico.

"So, if we want to defeat it, then now is the time, before it regains power and escapes," said Annabeth.

"Then, what's our plan? I mean it's not like we can just ask it nicely to show itself," said Clarisse.

"Maybe we can lure it out. Nico, is there like a favorite Hellhound food?" ask Percy.

"I don't know about food, but Hellhounds like the sound of the harp," said Nico.

"Not just any harp, it has to be the one that Apollo gave to Orpheus," said Annabeth.

"How the hell are we going to get it? The dude is not going to walk out of Elysium to give it to us. Hades will have a fit," said Clarisse.

"Well, I guess it's lucky that we have someone who can go to Elysium and get the Harp without Hades having a fit or too much trouble," said Annabeth slyly.

The three of them turn their eyes toward Nico, who seemed small under the gaze of the older teens. Nico sighed, "Fine, I'll make the trip. But, I won't promise anything. You know how reluctant Dad is about these things."

"Thanks, Nico. I knew we could count on you buddy," said Percy fondly.

Nico mumbled something under his breath and was gone the next second. They looked around and went off in different directions: Annabeth toward the library, Clarisse toward the castle, and Percy off to find Draco.

Unbeknownst to them, the Golden Trio was watching them. "Bloody Hell! Did you see that? He just vanished! You can't disapparate inside Hogwarts. Hermione, are you seeing this?" said Ron.

"Yes, Ron, I am. How did he do that?" asked Hermione.

"What if they are Death Eaters?" whispered Ron.

"Let's not jump to conclusions, Ron. We don't know anything about them or about what just happened. It's Dumbledore who admitted them into Hogwarts, and he knows what he's doing," said Hermione.

"Harry! Are you listening?" yelled Ron. "What are you looking at?"

"Yes, I am listening. No need to yell. I am not looking at anything," said Harry.

While Ron and Hermione continued to argue, Harry looked on at the view in front of him. He saw the newcomer, Percy, running up to Draco and attempting to hug him. He saw the distaste in Draco's face and the delight in Percy's. Harry knew the accusations against the newcomer and Draco, but there was something he had not told anyone.

Despite everything that happened between him and Draco, Harry never blamed or hated Draco for it. Harry knew that Draco was tied to the same fate as him; they were all in the game of destiny. Harry felt guilty for hurting Draco, whom he had no grudge against; there was only rage at the time.

Harry watched as Percy engage with Draco and saw the affection in Percy's eyes. Harry couldn't help but watch; inside his heart he knew that Draco deserved someone who loved him. Harry watched as Percy gently lifted Draco's hand to his mouth and kissed it gingerly. He saw as Draco's expression changed slightly from distaste to what could be affection. From there, Harry knew deep inside his gut that they belonged together.


	4. Chapter 4

Percy looked at Draco and smiled, "Hello, Beautiful. How are you doing?"

"I am fine, dimwit. Now get out of my way, I need to get to class," said Draco.

Draco walked past him, and Percy could see Draco's bodyguards following quickly behind him. Percy sighed and watched Draco's back disappear into the hill.

The next day came. The birds chirped happily and ruffled their feathers in the sunlight. The grass was covered in fresh dew. Everything seemed happy. A shadow flicked, and out came a person. The boy seemed weak and stumbled on every step he took, but with each step he grew more confident. In his hand held a golden harp. He took a step and fell down.

Percy, who witnessed the entire thing, ran to the boy. "Nico! Nico! Wake up!" yelled Percy. Percy carried Nico back into the building and placed Nico on his bed. Then, Percy took the Harp from Nico's hands. He walked down the hallway and was met with Annabeth and Clarisse.

"Hey guys, Nico got the harp, but I think he's a bit tired from his trip. So, why don't we go kick this Hellhound's ass and get this over with," said Percy.

"Patience, young grasshopper. No matter how fast you take care of it, it won't help you with courting Draco. Wait a bit, and we'll get results," said Annabeth while she was stroking the fine-tune strings on the Harp. The sound, bouncing off the giant castle walls, echoed in the empty hallway.

Moments later, the shadows in the hallway seem to move and flicker. Percy pulled out Riptide and uncapped it. He was ready. Clarisse followed suit by taking out her spear, and looked around, ready to fight. Annabeth stroked the Harp a bit harder to create a louder sound. The Hellhound, drunk on the sound of the Harp, came closer and closer, not knowing the danger that lay in front of it. As the Hellhound came closer, Percy and Clarisse seemed to shake with excitement.

Percy raised Riptide and held it just above the Hellhound's head, but the Hellhound dodged the blade. The Hellhound was slower than usual due to the effects of the Harp. It moved toward Clarisse, but she brought the beast down with one mighty swing. " Has love made you dull?!" yelled Clarisse. "Did you forget how to fight?!" The beast got back up and seem more furious than before.

Percy mumbled something under his breath and tackled the beast. The Hellhound was thrown toward the hall wall and dented the ancient building. It fell down but hurried to its legs and jumped at Percy.  
"Seaweed Brain, be careful, these walls are old. I haven't gotten the chance to finish analyzing them yet. Don't you dare destroy it!" yelled Annabeth.

"I almost got killed and all you care about is these stupid walls," said Percy.

"Shut up, both of you. Percy, fight!" said Clarisse.

Percy stabbed the beast with Riptide as Clarisse had done with her spear. The Hellhound screamed, exploded, returned to Tatarus. The only thing left of it were the pieces of skin on the floor. Both Clarisse and Percy fell to the floor, exhausted and out of breath but delighted.

"Now, we can go home," smiled Clarisse.

"Yeah. I guess we can now," said Percy, as he thought of Draco.

"We can't go home. Not yet. Did you guys forget?" said Annabeth.

"We can't? What did we forget?" said Clarisse.

"Monster go after demigods, and that's reason the Hellhound was here. So, we need to find the Demigod before more monsters come," said Nico from behind Annabeth.

"So there's a demigod here?" asked Percy.

"Of course, why would you think otherwise?" said Annabeth.

"No, it's great. It's wonderful," said Percy. "I have to go."

Percy ran down the hallway and toward the potions classroom; he knew that was the last class of the day for Gryffindors and Slytherins, so Draco should be there. He was so excited, he almost knocked over the third-year students who were walking down the hallway. Draco came out with Blaise, Pansy and his two bodyguards. Percy rushed toward Draco, accidently hitting Hermione, who was walking out of the classroom with Harry and Ron behind her. Draco watch with interest as Ron's face turn red with anger at the sight of Hermione falling to her feet.

"Hey, watch where you're going! After you run over someone, at least apologize!" yelled Ron.

"Ron. I am fine. It's all right," said Hermione.

By that time, Percy already went by Draco's side, and he glanced down at the brown haired girl he ran over. He looked up to see a red-haired boy whose face seemed to be the same color as his hair. Percy saw the fallen girl and finally understood the reason behind the red-haired boy's anger. He walked over to her and extended his hand.

"I am so sorry. I didn't mean to knock you down. I should have looked where I was going," apologized Percy as he helped her to her feet. "I am Percy. What's your name?"

Hermione stared into the bright, sea-green eyes of Percy and blushed, "I am Hermione. It's alright, I wasn't looking either."

Harry watched with interest as Ron's face turn even redder and Draco's green with jealousy. He watched as Draco walked up to Percy and dragged him away, leaving Hermione in her own daze.

Draco dragged Percy away and was walking faster than the speed of light. He glared at anyone who dared to glance their way. Draco didn't know what he was doing; he didn't have an explanation for any of it, but he didn't care. _How dare that mudblood look at Percy like that! It's not like I am jealous or anything. That's absurd. _

Percy let himself be dragged away by the blonde, slightly amused with his reaction. Percy knew the Slytherin will never admit it, but he was jealous. There was nothing to be jealous about; Percy was only interested in Draco, but he wasn't going to tell him that. He wanted to wait to see where this ends.

Draco arrived at the astronomy tower and pushed Percy up on a wall. He then proceeded to lock lips with the brunette in front of him. Draco could feel the Percy smile through the kiss. He felt Percy deepen the kiss. Draco let out a slight moan as Percy slid his tongue over Draco's bottom lip. Percy took this as permission to slide his tongue inside Draco's mouth. Draco's eyes grew wide and he moaned at the contact of Percy's tongue. The two fought for dominance. Biting and scraping left them breathless and panting with pleasure. The first kiss they shared was slow. The kiss they share now was passionate.

Percy saw a dark blush cover Draco ears, making him absolutely adorable. Draco looked at the floor, refusing to look at Percy. Percy gently placed his hand on Draco's chin and lifted it so they could see eye to eye. Percy could see the plump red lips slightly wet from shared saliva, flush cheeks, and hazed gray eyes. Percy could not help but place another kiss on those tempting lips. Draco pushed Percy away and attempted to straighten his clothes that got messed up in the heated snogging session.

Draco turned to leave, but Percy grabbed Draco's wrist and pulled the blonde toward him. Percy was delighted at how perfectly Draco fit in his arms.

"What are you doing? Let me go, you big oaf," said Draco. "I hate you."

"Surely you don't mean that, babe. I am not doing this to irritate you. I like you." said Percy.

"Like me? You are mistaken. Go find another fool to pick on, one who will believe your lie," laughed Draco as he walk down the tower.

Percy watched with sorrow as his love walked away from him. He had known they had a special connection from the day he healed Draco. Percy couldn't figure out why Draco was rejecting his love, but he knew he didn't have much time. The team, knowing it wouldn't be long until they find the demigod, already allowed Percy to go after Draco while they did their work.


	5. Chapter 5

Night came, and like all the nights before, it was chilling, with Draco Malfoy coming out of his dorm. He didn't have a special place to go or a purpose. The only reason for coming out was that his Dark Mark ached. He headed toward the restroom, but he remember Moaning Myrtle. So he went to the only place that would give him privacy, the Room of Requirements. He knew about the place from his fifth year, when Potter got in trouble for having a secret club.

Percy woke up startled. This was his first time doing so since the war. He sneaked out of his dorm and started walking. He didn't know where he was going, but he just kept walking. Percy started thinking of Draco. He thought of the pretty blonde's troubles. He knew from rumors that Draco was a Death Eater, which was a name that he and his team found distasteful. He also knew the wizarding world would be in a war soon with an evil man named Voldemort. Apparently, Voldemort was so evil that his name was unspeakable. If you ask Percy, he would say it's a load of bull; how terrifying can one man be.

Percy was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn't notice he walked in circles or that a door opened with tiny sounds of sobbing inside. Percy snapped out of his thoughts as he recognize the voice; he knew that was the sound of his beloved. Percy walked in and the door behind him gently shut itself. He walked through pillows and bean bags that covered the floor until he reached Draco.

Draco was shaking from his sobbing, and Percy could hear his heart break when his beloved brought his tear-filled eyes to see him. Draco's eyes grew wider at the newcomer and tear drop fell down his face. He quickly brought his hand to his face to wipe all the tears, but Percy stopped him and pulled the sobbing boy to his chest. Draco was welcomed by a kind of warmness he had always wanted. He continue to sob into the boy's chest, and he started hitting the boy like all his troubles were the boy's faults.

"Why? Why are you here? Why can't you just leave me be? Can't you see, I am broken and pathetic. I am a Death Eater. The Dark Mark had branded me for life as a killer. You should be scared, you should run away from me! You should not say you fancy me!" screamed Draco.

The crying went on and on. Percy saw Draco's carefully constructed mask break and fall apart. Percy listened as Draco screamed at him all the faults in the world and how much he hated himself. Percy didn't say anything; he simply held the boy and let him cry. Draco calmed himself down and recollected his thoughts. He looked up at the sea-green eyed boy with his teary gray ones.

"Draco, please don't think of yourself that way. You're not a killer, you've never killed anyone. I know you think the world is against you and it might be, but just know that I am here for you," said Percy, "You're not alone."

Draco laughed bitterly, and pulled up his sleeve, showing the Dark Mark. The snake hissed at Percy and the skull seemed to mock Draco. Percy saw how much the Dark Mark hurt Draco, and knew the Mark was the cold, hard reality. Something that a love fairytale couldn't fix.

"Are you scared now, Percy? You should because it scares me. This is the truth. I am marked, and I am ugly," said Draco.

Percy looked into Draco's hopeless eyes and saw what had drawn him to Draco in the first place. It was the look of absolute despair, and it was the kind of darkness that Percy had felt during the war and missed. Looking into Draco's eyes now was like having that despair wrapped around his body, choking him until he too drowned in the despair. "I just want to die," said Draco quietly.

Percy felt a part of him die when he heard those words come out of Draco's mouth. Suddenly, Percy felt angry, not at Draco, but at the people who made Draco think like that.

"No, don't say that, especially not after I found and saved you," said Percy.

"When did you save me?" asked Draco.

"When I found you in the girl's bathroom bleeding from the wounds on your chest and healed you," said Percy.

"Well, you wasted your efforts. You should have let me bleed to death. It would have been less painful that way," said Draco bitterly.

"I didn't waste anything. I meant what I said in the afternoon. I love you, Draco Malfoy. Marked, broken, sarcasm and all," said Percy sincerely.

"You will regret it later," said Draco quietly so Percy would do as he said and love him.

Percy drew Draco back into his arms and held him there tightly as if to hold him away from death. Draco leaned in and buried his face into the strong chest of the handsome boy. They stayed like that until dawn.

Percy woke up and felt a warm pressure at his side. He looked down to confirm it was Draco. He watched as Draco stirred in his arms, rubbing his eye open.

"Morning, beautiful," smiled Percy.

"What are you still doing here? You should go," said Draco.

"I want to stay here with you," replied Percy. "I was serious last night. I do love you, but I won't hold you to the same thing. If this is a one sided love, then so be it. I would rather die knowing I love someone than die knowing I never had the chance. It doesn't matter who you are or who you think you are. I accept you, and I too have demons of my own that I don't like. It's natural, but I just want you to know. Even when the world becomes your foe, I will always take your side.

"Your words are pretty, but I don't believe them to be true. How can you love me when I can't even love myself?" Draco asked.

Percy stroked the side of Draco's face and extended his hand. Suddenly, water from corners of the room flew into Percy's hand, wiggling to form a shape. Draco's eyes grew wide with surprise.

"How are you able to do that? I thought you had no magic," said Draco.

"I don't have magic. This is something I was born with. You see, my dad is Poseidon, the sea god, and my mom is a human. That makes me a demigod, and I can control water. That's the whole reason we're here. My friends and I were chasing after a monster from America. We killed it, but we still have to find the demigod that the monster came for. After that, we go home to Camp Halfblood. I know what it's like to be in a war. I've fought in one, and I know it's not easy. It takes a lot, but I never forgot who I was. That's how I was able to go on," explained Percy.

Draco soaked all the information in like a sponge. He watched as the shapeless water began to take the shape of a Triton and hardened. Percy placed it in Draco's hands and closed his fingers around it. He looked into those grey eyes and smiled. Draco opened his hand to see the beautiful water crystal.

"This is my gift to you, beloved. I hope when you see this, it gives you the hope, courage and strength to do what you have to do. So no matter what, I want you to know I will always love you. I hope that when you hold this in your hand, you will feel me holding you," said Percy.

Draco held the triton to his heart and knew that this handsome stranger had managed to melt his icy exterior and steal his heart. Draco allowed Percy to see all the flaws in his mind and body. He gave literally everything to him, his forsaken love, his heart, body, mind, and soul. In return, Draco took Percy's acceptance, kindness, and understanding.

The two of them lay on top of the pillow and bean bags naked, completely exposed. Everything was slow and sensual. There was no barriers. They made love with their minds open. For the first time, Draco was proud of something he chose for himself without his father's influence. Draco felt where he belonged. He belonged in the arms of this handsome boy who understood him. In a long time, Draco felt safe.

They went their separate ways to meet up with their friends. Percy walked toward a smirking Annabeth, a scowling Clarisse, and a slightly disturbed Nico.

"So, did you do it?" asked Annabeth, while both Clarisse and Nico were disgusted by the question.

"Yeah, I did. I had a lot of progress. What about you?" said Percy.

"We figured it out who it was, but we can't take him back with us," said Clarisse.

"What? Why? He can't stay here. Not after his heritage has been revealed," said Percy.

"We told Charion that too, but he said we can't take him back with us because the dude's mom asked us not to," said Nico.

"So, what's this demigod's name and why can't we take him with us?" asked Percy.

"It's a student named Neville Longbottom. His mother is Demeter. She asked us to let him stay here and care for the plants of this place," replied Annabeth. "So, now we can go home. We're leaving now."

"Oh, that's so soon. Can't it wait a little?" pleaded Percy.

"Sorry, lover boy. That's impossible. We have to go back and help rebuild the camp. They need extra hands. Go say your goodbyes. We have to arrive there by nightfall," said Clarisse.

Percy ran toward the direction he had last seen his lover. He ran until he caught sight of the blonde and pulled him away from his friends. Draco smiled at him and looked at his sad face and realized that Percy need to leave. Percy took Draco's hands and left butterfly kisses on them before taking Draco's face and doing the same thing. The two lover held on to each other for a while before pulling apart.

"I am sorry. I have to leave. There are just somethings I need to do," said Percy.

"I understand. You don't have to explain to me. We all have our roles in life. I am just sad that you have to leave so soon," said Draco.

Percy hugged Draco and kissed him until they panted for air. Percy took one last look and whispered something in Draco's ear and left. The words that Percy whispered left Draco with a feeling he hadn't experience in a long time, hope.

The two lovers parted with one another to fulfill their roles in life. They will go through pain, loss, and longing for one another. Such emotions will make even, Aphrodite sigh and cry tears of sorrow, but Draco will hold on strong even through tough times. He will have to, until Percy fulfill his promised words of _**I will be back**_.

**Author's Notes: I don't own any of these characters. Thank you for reading! I love the reviews. ~ S**


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